WARREN, Ark. – The Warren Lumberjacks baseball team yielded an early advantage, but scored two in the seventh inning to send the game to extra innings before freshman outfielder Jackson Denton launched a two-out, full-count pitch over the left-center wall to give Warren a dramatic 13-9 victory over the Hamburg Lions Wednesday evening at the Warren Sports Complex.
Dennen Cuthbertson
Saline River Chronicle Sports Contributor
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The Lumberjacks (7-4, 3-2 in 4A-8) jumped ahead of Hamburg (7-2, 2-2) early with a 7-2 advantage after three frames, but saw the Lions score seven runs in the fifth and sixth innings to move out front 9-7. The visitors recorded the first two outs of the bottom of the seventh but Kolby Pope walked to start the rally and later scored on a balk to make it 9-8. Ervin Rivera tied the contest with a single to right-center field to score Denton, who had singled earlier in the inning.
Rivera tossed a scoreless top of the eighth to put Warren in position for the walk-off win. The first two runners reached for the Jacks, but a fielder’s choice and strikeout had runners on first and second with two outs. Pope smashed a hard single to left field, but couldn’t bring home a run as it was hit right at the defender. This set up Denton, who went ahead 3-0, but watched the next two pitches to bring the count to 3-2. The freshman did not watch the next pitch as he smoked it over the left-center wall for the walk-off grand slam to clinch a 13-9 win.
Rivera earned the win on the mound with 2.2 innings of scoreless baseball as he allowed just three hits without walking or striking out a batter. Pope started and went 5 1/3 innings as the right-hander allowed nine runs (four earned) on eight hits with seven strikeouts against one walk.
The Orange and Black outhit the Lions 13-11, but committed six errors to Hamburg’s five. Pope led the team at the plate as he reached base all six times with four hits and two walks. He also scored three times and drove in two runs. Denton was 2-for-6 with five RBIs and two runs, while Reep also recorded a multi-hit game and scored twice. Nathan Spears picked up two RBIs, while Rivera and Cathey each knocked in one.
The Lions struck first in the contest with a single run in the opening frame, but Warren began with a bang as Pope tripled to right-center field. He’d later score on a groundout by Spears. The Lumberjacks opened things up in the second inning as AJ Jordan reached on an error to start the frame. Hamburg made two errors on two consecutive bunts then hit two batters in a row to spark a five-run outburst as Warren took a 6-1 lead.
The visitors got one run back in the third, but Pope singled Reep, who led off with a double, to go ahead by five runs once again. Hamburg scored two in the fifth to get within 7-4, but tallied a five-run inning of their own in the sixth to move ahead 9-7, which set up the comeback by Warren.
The Lumberjacks return to action Thursday, March 28 with another conference matchup at Watson Chapel. First pitch is set for 5 p.m.
